Apparatus for crimping or corrugating strip or sheet material



Nov. 22, 1949 A. F. DYSON 2,489,125

APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING 0R CORRUGATING STRIP OR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 19, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l HETHUK FEEDER/CK D/so/v jygwnlg Nov. 22, 1949 A. F. DYSON APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING OR CORRUGATING STRIP OR SHEET MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1946 M9160): I HEW/a2 FEEDER/CK 0X50 W Nov. 22, 1949 A. F. DYSON APPARKTUS FOR CRIMPING OR CORRUGATING STRIP OR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 19, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 22, 1949 APPARATUS FOR. 'CRIMPING OR CORRUGAT- ING" STRIP OR; SHEET MATERIAL l Arthur; Frederick Dyson, Leeds, England, assignot' to. Imperial. Chemical Industries Limited,.a .core poration of GreatBritain 'App lication Decemberl 19, 1946, Serial No; 717 220 .InrGreatBritain December 21, 19.45

2 Claims. .1.

This invention relates to an improved machine for crimping or corrugating striporfsheet materialand is. applicable with particular advantage to the manufacture of corrugated elements of the kind employed. in secondary surface heat ex- 1 change. devices.

According to the present invention we provide an improved machine of the kind referred to comprising a pair of complementary jawv members each provided with a set of parallel forming x blades separated by slots in' which are located ejector bars. Each jaw member is adapted to reciprocate or move to and froin a longitudinal direction (hereinafter defined) between open and closed positions (also hereinafter defined),

movement of a jaw-member in the direction of feed of the materialliee. forwardly) takesplace with that member in the closed'position and with the other jaw member in the open position. Transverse movement of a jaw member-"in the direction opposite to'thefeed of the material (i. e. rearwardly) takes place with that member in the open position and with the other jaw member in theclosed position. In both cases, the crimped sheet material remains gripped by the blades of the jaw member that is in closed position until said relative transverse movement is completed, and is positively advanced by-each forward stroke of the transversely reciprocating member. The jaw members reciprocate alternately in the aforesaid longitudinal direction,

one member moving while theother member is stationary in its closed position.

By the term longitudinal is meant a direction in the plane of the forming blades at right angles to their edges.

of the blades. By the term"open'position= of a jaw member is meant the position of that member after it has moved the full extent of its travel away from the other" jaw "member. By"

By the term transverse-ilf is meant a direction at right angles to the plane the term'closed position of a jaw member .is meant the position of that member after ithas moved the full extent of its travel toward the other jaw member.

It will be seen, therefore, that the two. sets of forming blades are adapted for intermittent mating engagement by the reciprocating to and fro movement of the aforesaid jaws, and successive mating engagements being displaced one pitch forwardly and backwardly, alternately, by the transverse reciprocating movement of a jaw and forming one half. of. each. corrugation.

Preferably the jaw members. are actuated by means of a camshaft and co-operating rocker arms, the said camshaft being mounted parallel to the said jaw members. Preferably also theto and fro. reciprocating movement of the jaws is effected by a cam or cams on the cam.- shaft, which same cam or cams operates the rocker arm or arms which effect the transverse reciprocatin movement.

One embodiment or our invention is illustrated by way of example .in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine con- .structed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectionalview of the machine looking in 'the direction of arrows AA in Figure 1.

Figures 3, 4,5, 5a., 6. and. 6a arefdiagrammatic sectional views showing the various positions of the jaws during one revolution of the camshaft.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, which illustrate .a desirable practical embodiment of the invention, two upstanding side guide members I are secured in spaced reia'tion to a base plate 2. Vertical sliding members 3 are 10- catedin slots 4 provided in the side guide members I, the uppermost portion of. the said sliding members bein provided with transverse slots 5 in which slots. is mounted the upper jaw housing 8. The upper jaw member 7 comprises a set of parallel forminglblades 8 each separated by an intermediate spacing plate 9 the said .blades and spacing plates being interposed between a parallel angular member In and a complementary clamping piece H, the complete jaw member being adjustably secured to the jaw housing 6 by means of bolts l2 and nuts i3, the said bolts passing through elongated holes provided in' the jawmember which holes have their major axes in the vertical plane. Three adjusting screws I4 together with locknuts [5 'are provided in the top portion of the jaw housing 6, the said screws extending downwardly through the housing and communicating with the upper jaw member I to facilitate vertical adjustment of the said member. The lower jaw housing I6 is substantially of channel section with the extremities of the flanges extending so that they are received in locating slots I7 and I8 provided in the vertical sliding member 3. The lower jaw member I9 comprises a set of parallel forming blades 20 each separated by an intermediate spacing plate 2I the said blades and spacing plates being interposed between a parallel angular member 22 and a complementary clamping piece 23, the complete jaw member being secured to the jaw housing I6 by means of bolts 24 and nuts 25. Ejector. bars 26 and 21 are accommodated in parallel slots 28 and 29 formed in the upper and lower jaw members respectively by the complementary forming blades and intermediate spacing plates by which the aforesaid slots between the blades are provided, the arrangement being such that the ejector bars 26 are incapable of movement in a vertical plane but can move horizontally with the upper jaw member I; while the ejector bars 21 are incapable of movement. Located on the underside of the lower jaw housing adjacent to the side guide members I are two cam plates 36 detachably secured by means of Allen screws 3|. Two cam blocks 32 which project inwardly are secured by bolts Ill to the lower portion of the vertical sliding members 3. A return spring 'I I, as shown in Figs. 3 through 6, is provided between the lower face of slide 3 and base plate 2 to urge the slide into its upper position, corresponding with the open position of upper jaw I. Two studs 33 are screwed into the underside of the lower jaw housing I6 so that they extend downwardly, the said studs being spaced widely apart and to one side of the centre-line of the jaw housing. Secured to the ends of the studs 33 by means of nuts 34 are crank arms 35 to which are screwed bolts 36, the said bolts extending downwardly and being located on the vertical centre-line of the machine by virtue of the said crank arms. A further two bolts 31 located intermediate the bolts 36 are screwed into the base plate 2 and locked in position by means of locknuts 3 8 so that they project upwardly. Threaded over the bolts 36 and 31 is a clampin bar 33 which is supported against the underhead of the bolts 3'] by compression springs 45 which springs are threaded over the bolts 36 and extend between the underhead and the underside of the clamping bar. The side guide members I are provided with holes M which holes are counterbored to provide housings 42 for the ball bearings 43, the said guide members I being so positioned on the base plate 2 that the bearings 43 are in alignment so as to receive and support the camshaft 44. Cover plates 45 and 66 are fitted over the housings 42 and are secured to circular facings 41 provided on the outermost side of the guide members I by means of setscrews 45. The cover plate 46 is provided with a central hole 49 through which passes the camshaft extension 56 to which extension is keyed a driving gear or pulley (not shown). The camshaft is provided with two cams I each located adjacent the vertical sliding member 3, the said sliding member being provided with an elongated hole to enable it to move upwardly and downwardly without interfering with the camshaft. The cams 5I are disposed between the cam plates 30 and the cam blocks 32 so that when the camshaft is rotated the cams cooperate with the said cam plates and cam blocks thereby reciprocating the upper and lower jaw members in the vertical plane. Located transversely across the machine and intermediate the upper and lower jaw housings are two ejector guide members 52 which are secured to the innermost face of the side guide members I by means of bolts 53. Pivoted at one end of each ejector guide member is a rocker arm 54 which is free to rotate about a pivot pin 55, the said pin extending through the ejector guide member 52 and the side guide member I and being secured by a nut 56. The lower portion of the rocker arm is provided with a forked end 51 which end receives a roller 58 secured in place by a pin 59. The roller 58 operates with the cam 5| thereby rotating the rocker arm, the opposite end of which co-operates with an adjustable tappet 60 screwed into the side of the upper jaw housing 6 to move the latter in the horizontal plane by an amount corresponding to one pitch of the jaw member. A horizontal quick-return mechanism is provided for the upper jaw housing 6 comprising a connecting bar 6| extending across and being secured to shouldered studs 62 screwed into the vertical sliding members 3. A further two bolts 63 are passed through holes 64 provided in the connecting bar, the said bolts being threaded through double concentric compression springs 65 and 66 before being screwed and locked into the upper jaw housing 6 by means of l'ocknuts 61. Located on the studs 62 adjacent the connecting bar 6| are spacer sleeves 68 which are clamped against the connecting bar and the latter against the shoulder of the studs 62 by means of wing nuts 69 thereby compressing the springs 65 and 66. When it is required to inspect or clean the jaw member blades the upper jaw member I, when in its open position, can be moved in the horizontal plane clear of the lower jaw member I9 by slackening the wing nuts 69 thereby releasing the compressive load on the springs 65 and 66.

The sequence of operations performed by the machine during each revolution of the camshaft are hereafter described with reference to Figures 3-6 of the drawings.

When inserting a new length of material A the upper jaw member I will be in the open position while the lower jaw member I9 is in its closed position (see Fig. 3). During rotation of the camshaft through the upper jaw member I closes thereby forming one half of a corrugation as shown in Fig. 4. During rotation to the position the upper jaw member 1 remains closed whilst the lower jaw member I9 opens to free the blades of this jaw from meshing engagement with the blades of upper jaw 'I (Fig. 5). During further rotation of the camshaft to the 270 position, the rocker arms 54 follow the contour of the cams 5| and allow the upper jaw member I, with the aid of the double concentric compression springs 65 and 66 to move along transversely by an amount corresponding to one pitch at the same time pulling the material A along by a similar amount, as seen in Fig. 5a. Both jaw members are closed when the camshaft has rotated through 270, having formed one complete corrugation. During the completion of the revolution the upper jaw member 1 opens leaving the material A nesting in the lower jaw member 19 (Fig. 6a), whilst the rocker arm 54 in following the contour of the cam 5| pushes the upper jaw member to its original position thereby compressing the springs 65 and 56 against the connecting bar 6|. The material A remains gripped in the jaw 19, because of its abutment against the ejector bar 26. Thus after each succeeding half corrugation is formed, the ejector or stripper bars 26 or 2'1, respectively, prevent the mate rial A from being withdrawn from that jaw which remains in the closed position While the other jaw is opening. The foregoing sequence of operations are repeated during each subsequent revolution of the camshaft.

Whilst I have illustrated and described by way of example one construction of my invention it will be understood that the details may be varied without departing from the nature of the invention, as for example, the jaw members may conveniently be constructed from the solid bar instead of using a series of parallel plates.

I claim:

1. A machine of the kind described comprising a pair of complementary jaw members, means supporting said jaw members for reciprocating movement of each, in alternating succession, toward and away from the other into closed and open positions, while permitting relative transverse movement between said members when either is in open position, a set of parallel forming blades carried by each jaw and separated by slots, the pitch of the blades being the same in both sets and the sets being adapted and arranged for mating engagement when both said jaw members are in closed position; sets of ejector members, one set for each set of forming blades, means stationarily supporting said ejector members within said slots in such position that when their cooperating jaw member is in its open position the outer edges of its blades are substantially flush with said ejector members, said ejector members being incapable of transverse movement relative to their respectively cooperating jaw members; and actuating mechanism adapted and arranged to eifect the reciprocating to-and-fro movement of said jaw members and, while one of the jaw members is in open position, to efiect relative transverse movement between the jaw members alternately in opposite directions with consequent displacement of successive mating engagements of said sets of blades forwardly and backwardly, alternately, by an amount equal to one blade pitch.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which said actuating mechanism comprises unitary rotary cam means, and separate driving connections between said cam means and said jaw members, together with cooperating return springs, all adapted and arranged both to eiifect the reciprocating to-and-fro movement of said jaw members and also the reciprocatin transverse relative movement between them.

ARTHUR FREDERICK DYSON.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Aug. 6, 1904 Number 

